Folding baby-carriage



J. A. MAHR.

FOLDING BABY CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15, 1919.

Patehted Mar. 30, 1920.

J. A. MAHR.

FOLDING BABY CARRIAGE.

APPUCATION FILED NOV.15..1919,

. Patented Mar. 30, 19206 3 $HEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Mar. 30,1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET a.

JULIUS A. MAH'R', OF'MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

FOLDING BABY-CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented" Mar. 30, 1920- Applicationfiled November 15, 1919. Serial No. 338,155.

To all whom it may concern: Be 1t known that I, JULIUS A. Mann, acitizen of the Unlted States, residlng atMinneapolis, in the county ofHennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Folding Baby- Uarriages; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of-the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in baby carriages, and morespecifically to folding running gears therefor, es pecially adapted tosupport a collapsible basket or hammock preferably of the type disclosedand claimed in my co-pending application filed May 21,;1919, under 5. N

298,718, and entitled Baby-carrying basket.

To the above end, generally stated, the

invention .consists of the novel devices and combination of deviceshereinafter described and defined 1n the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the inventlon, likecharacters 1nd1-.

Fig. 4 is a VlBW partly in side elevation:

and partly in longitudinal section taken on theline 3.3 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail View in section taken substantially on the line 55 ofFig. 3, on an enlarged scale; and 1 Fig. 6 is a side elevation, showingthe running gear folded.

The folding running gear includes a reach 7, front and rear posts 8 and9, respect1vely,

a pair of reach brackets 10, two pairs of dius reds 1., fron and reepair fs u axles 12, wheels 13 joi rnaled on said axles 2, en a pair ofsp e ding t g l s 1 The reach 7,'and posts-8 and ,9, as shown, arepreferably of ub la f rm, a d the en f aid each and t lo er nd of aposts, r pi o allyeonn e e to the rea brackets 10 by horizontal pins 15and 16,

respectively. By reference to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the pivotpins 16 are located below and rearward of the ends of the reach 7, topermit the posts 8 and 9 to clear said ends when in operative or uprightpositions, and to be folded into inoperative positions under the reachand into substantially parallel arrangement therewith.

The reach brackets 10 are provided with horizontal inwardly projectingarms 17, and upwardly and outwardly inclined arms 18 in the form ofinverted channels. The arms 17 straddle the reach 7 and thereby act asstops to limit the upward pivotal movements of the brackets 10 on thereach 7, and the arms 18 are arranged to straddle the posts 8 and 9 andact as stops to limit the inward swinging movement of said posts vandnormally hold the same in diverging relation in respect to eachother. Bycausing the arms 17 and 18 to straddle the reach 7, and posts 8 and 9,said reach and posts are securely held against lateral twisting movementon their pivot pins.

To each arm 17 is intermediately secured a clip 19 arranged to embracethe reach 7 and yieldingly hold the brackets 10 against pivotal movementthereon. Also secured to each arm 18 is a similar clip 20 arranged toembrace the posts 8 and 9 and yieldingly hold them against pivotalmovement on the brackets 10. p

Formed with each pair of reach brackets 10 is a pair of downwardly andinwardly diverging arms 2.1 to which radius rods 11 are pivoted in pairsand quite close to the bracket 10. The pivots for the radius rods 11 areformed by bending their inner ends laterally downward to form shortvertical trunnions and inserting the same through seats in said arms andsecuring the same against removal therefrom, by cotter pins22. Thepivotal connectlons for the radius rods 11 are such as to permitswinging move-. ment of each pair thereof toward and from each other,and also to permit said rods to be folded into substantially parallel arrangement with the reach 7 Hook-like fingers 2 3,911 the outer ends ofthe arms 21,

afford stops to limit the outward swinging movement of the radius rods11. The outer ends of the radius rods 11 are connected to the inner endsof the stub axles by vertical pivots 24, and the outer endsof thespreading toggles 1a are connected by pivots 2.5 to the radius rods 11,inward of the pivots 24. Extensions 26 are formed on the outer ends ofthe spreading toggles 14 and are provided with depending cam pins 27which work in slots 28 formed in laterally and in- 7 wardly projectingarms 29 on the inner ends of the stud axles 12. By reference to Fig. 2it will be noted that the pivotal connection between the members of thespreading toggle 14 is slightly beyond a dead center, and furtheroutward movementthereof is prevented by the engagement of the cam pins27 with the inner ends of the slots 28. The cam pins 27, by theirengagement with the arms 29, securely hold the stub axles 12 againstpivotal movement on the radius rods 11.

Gbviously by buckling the spreading toggles 14, the radius rods 11 maybe moved inward into substantially parallel arrange- "11181113 with oneanother and the reach 7.

This movement of the radius rods 11 also carries the Wheels 13 intorelatively close arrangement with each other, as shown by broken linesin Fig. 2. To complete the folding of the running gear the posts 8 and 9are swung outward and downward and then into overlapping position, theone with the other, and under the reach 7, as previously described. Thisfolding movement of the posts 8 and 9 will also cause the reach bracketsto swing on the pivots 15. When the running gear is thus folded, thesame will appear as shown in Fig. 6.

Formed in the upper end of each post 8 and 9 is a hook 30, and securedto said posts slightly below the hooks 30. Also secured to each post 8and 9 is a pair of upwardly diverging prongs 31 to the upper ends ofwhich is secured. a relatively short horizon tal handle 32.

To lock the running gear against rolling movement, when left standing,there is secured to the rear rivets a pair of lock fingers 33 arrangedto be turned between certain of the spokes of the rear wheels 13 to lockthe same against turning movement. These fingers 33 may be swung, inwardunder the'rear spreading toggle 14, as indicated by broken lines in Fig.2, when not in use. When the lock fingers 33 are set to lock the rearwheels 13, the same engage the ends of the stub axle arms 29 as stops,as shown in Fig. 2.

' Removably suspended from the upper 5 ends of the posts 8 and 9 is acollapsible baby carrying basket or hammock 34, previously referred to,and preferably made from canvas, or other suitable fabric, and has inits top and bottom marginal edges metal reinforcing rods, not shown. Afolding hood 35, is attached to the basket 34 and the basket 34therefrom with freedom for lateral swinging movement. Secured to theintermediate portion of the basket 34, at the sides thereof, are twobuckle-equipped retaining straps 38. Two upwardly divergingbuckle-equipped straps 39 are secured to the reach 7 and opposite sidesof the basket 34 to limit the swinging movement thereof, or hold thesame against swinging movement.

By unbuckling the straps 39, the basket 34 may be removed from therunning gear by releasing the rings 37 from the hooks 30. The runninggear may then be folded, as previously described, and secured in foldedposition by the sections of the straps 39 remaining attached to thereach 7.

The above described invention, while extremely simple, and ofcomparatively small cost to manufacture, has in actual usage, provenhighly efficient for the purpose had in view. When the running gear isfolded the parts thereof are very compact and occupy comparativelylittle space so that the same may be readily taken into a street car, orother conveyance, while the basket with the baby in it may be carried inthe arms.

lVhat I claim is: V

1. A folding running gear comprisinga reach, a pair of posts, bracketsfoldably connecting the posts to the reach, a pair of radius rodsfoldably attached to each bracket, stub axles pivoted to the radius rodsand having laterally projecting arms, wheels j ournaled on said axles,and a spreading toggle connecting each pair of radius rods and alsohaving sliding pivotal connections with the respective pair of stubaxlearms, in combination with'a body attached to the posts.

2. A folding running gear comprising a 105 reach, a pair of posts,brackets foldably connecting the posts to the reach, a pair of radiusrods foldably attached to each bracket, stub axles pivoted to the radiusrods and having laterally projecting arms, wheels journaled on saidaxles, and a spreading toggle connecting each pair of radius rods andalso having sliding pivotal connections with the respectivepair of stubaxle arms, in combination with a body attached to the posts, and aconnection between the body and reach to prevent or limit the swingingmovement of said body.

i 3. A folding running gear comprising a l reach, a pair of posts,brackets foldably con- 12o necting the posts to the reach, a pair'ofradius rods foldably attached to each bracket, stub axles pivoted to theradius rods and having laterally projecting arms, wheels journaled onsaid axles, a spreading 12-5 toggle connecting each pair of radius rodsand also having sliding pivotal connections with the respective pair ofstub axle arms, and a handle. on one of said posts, in combi-' nationwith a body attached to the posts.

4. A folding running gear comprising a reach, a pair of posts, bracketsfoldably connecting the posts to the reach, a pair of radius rodsfoldably attached to each bracket, stub axles pivoted to the radius rodsand having laterally projecting arms, Wheels journaled on said axles,and a spreading toggle connecting each pair of radius rods and alsohaving sliding pivotal connections with the respective pair of stub axlearms, each of the posts being provided with a hook-like notch in itsupper end, in

combination with a body, and supporting straps for the body having ringsdetachably secured in said hook-like notches.

5. A folding running gear comprising a reach, a pair of brackets pivotedto the reach, a pair of posts pivoted to the brackets, stops on thebrackets limiting their pivotal movement on the reach and the pivotalmovement of the posts on the brackets into operative positions, clipsyieldingly securing the brackets to the reach and the posts to thebrackets against pivotal movement from operative positions, a pair ofradius rods pivoted to each bracket for swinging movement toward andfrom the reach,stops limiting the outward swinging movement of theradius rods, stub axles pivoted to the radius rods and having laterallyprojecting arms, Wheels journaled on said axles, and a spreading toggleconnecting each pair of radius rods and also having sliding pivotalconnections with the respective pair of stub axle arms, in combinationwith a body attached to the posts.

6. A folding running gear comprising a reach, a pair of posts, bracketsfoldably connecting the posts to the reach, a pair of radius rodsfoldably attached to each bracket, stub axles pivoted to the radiusrods, and means for holding the radius rods spread and the stub axlesagainst pivotal movement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JULIUS A. MAHR. Witnesses:

EVA E. mm, HARRY D. KILooRE.

